Improvement in horseshoes



G. SMITH.

HORSESHOE.

Patented Aug.8, 1876.

".PETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON D C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE SMITH, OF ROOKDALE, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND HENRY W. ROGERS, OF BALTIMORE MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSESHOES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 180,950, dated August 8, 1876; application filed February 11, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE SMITH, of

Rockdale, in the county of Baltimore, and in 1 the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horseshoe; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of the lower side of my improved horseshoe and toe-calks separated from each other, and Fig. 2 is a like view of the same as united and secured together..

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

Horseshoes have heretofore been made with detachable calks, attached in various ways, among which were fitting the calk to a dovetailed groove and securing it in place by a screw which engaged with one of its ends, and screwing the calk into the shoe, and preventing it from unscrewing by means of a nail, which also aided in attaching sai'd shoe to the foot of the horse; but each of said methods have been open to objections which it is the design of my improvement to remedy; to which end it consists in the peculiar construction of the detachable toe-calk and shoe, whereby the former is locked in position by means of one of the nails employed for securing the latter to the hoof of a horse, substantially as is hereinafter specified.

In the annexed drawing, A represents a horseshoe of ordinary construction, except at its front end, where, upon its lower side, are provided two lips, a and a, that inclose and form a groove, a, which has, transversely, a dovetail shape, and longitudinally is slightly tapering. Within the groove a is'fitted block B, which dorresponds therewith in size and shape, so as to closely fill the space when driven home. From the lower sides of the lips or and a the sides of said block B are formed upon converging lines, so as to form, at their point of intersection, an edge having any desired degree of sharpness, said block thus formed being the toe-calk of the shoe.

The groove a and toe-calk B being tapered longitudinally, the latter can only be driven into the former from one end. In order that said toe-calk may be securely locked in position within said groove, a nail-hole, a, is pro vided at the immediate end of the latter, and when upon the foot of a horse a nail, G, driven into said hole, bears against the largest end of said toe-calk and prevents all longitudinal motion of the same, said nail performing such otfice in addition to that of attaching the shoe upon the foot of the horse.

When it is desired to remove the toe-calk and replace it by another having a more sharp or blunt edge, the nail O can be withdrawn, the change made, and said nail replaced in a few movements of time, and by the use of no tools except such as any person can command.

This method of fastening the toe-calk in place is simple, efficient, inexpensive, and renders absolutely certain the retention of the same in position unless purposely removed.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, what I claim as new 1s- In combination with the horseshoe A, provided with the tapering dovetailed groove a, the detachable toe-calk B, fitted within said groove, and secured in place therein by means "of the nail U, employed for attaching said shoe to the foot of a horse, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of January, 1875.

GEO RGE SMITH.

Witnesses:

GEo. S. PRINDLE, E. F. M. FAEHTZ. 

